


there are wolves at the gate (and the stars that flicker out)

by lechatnoir



Series: heliotropes and the scarlet hymns [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 21:49:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4495926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lechatnoir/pseuds/lechatnoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which there are wolves, Wungadore Mountain, old ghosts and goodbye letters, the Phoenix Force, and Wanda Maximoff.</p>
<p>(or, the one fic where Wanda Maximoff thinks of Jean Grey, and how wonderful it would be to see her again.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	there are wolves at the gate (and the stars that flicker out)

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on my tumblr which you can find it here : http://chrysanthemumskies.tumblr.com/post/111348534090/there-are-wolves-at-the-gates-and-the-stars-that
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @ chrysanthemumskies!

_Tuesday, November 15th 5:00 AM_  
It’s been months now since she’s quit the Avengers, months that she hung up her gloves and headdress and told herself that it was time to focus on rebuilding herself, rebuilding the damage she’s done with M-Day, repairing old ghosts and mending old grudges, one step at a time.  
(She had put her foot down and apologized to Steve Rogers when she told him point blank that she needed to leave, needed to get out – He didn’t begrudge her, just wished her well and told her (with a bit of a bitter grin on his face (and oh how old he seemed then and there, as if the years had finally caught up with him and it was ice cold ghosts dancing along the edge of his mind at every minute filled with silence – she knew of the nightmares that never quite went away, knew of the way that he’d still try to catch what few reminders of the past he had and try to lock up what moments he had in a bottle, to hide away and keep for the rainy days) –

_Once an Avenger, always an Avenger, Wanda._

__She had nodded and swallowed, and it seemed as if her throat was dry and on fire but she moved to hug him before pressing a kiss to his cheek and turned on her heel to leave, each step making the energy within her buzz with barely contained excitement and a bit of longing._ _

__She may not have gotten along with all of them but she did find comfort in the companionship and camaraderie that she had formed over the years with her time on the team._ _

__Perhaps that’s what she’ll miss the most, in the quiet moments that she finds herself alone with her thoughts)_ _

___Friday, August 25th 11:59 PM_ _ _

____ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff officially resigns from the Avengers, indefinitely._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday, November 15th 6:00 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff makes her way down to the local coffee shop, orders a caramel latte with a vanilla scone, and tears out two pages from an old worn out leather journal._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday, November 15th 6:45 AM_ _ _ _ _

____There are teardrop stains and running ink on the letters but she does her best to dry them out, shaking her head at herself for how absolutely silly she feels but never the less, she folds the letters up and hums to herself while she drinks the latte that’s far too bitter until the last drop, where a surge of caramel greets her in a sugary farewell._ _ _ _

____“Seems like today’s a bittersweet day. Or my latte has a mind of its own and wants to make this entire ‘Leaving the Team’ decision more ridiculous. Right.” She muttered to herself before grabbing the letters and leaving the shop with a little wave and smile to the barista as the door shut behind her with a clang._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday, November 15th 7:30 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff makes her way to the area of SoHo in Manhattan, weaving in and out of cobblestone side streets as if she’d live here all her life. She remembers the way, confusing and chaotic as it may be with the morning office commuters rushing to cram themselves into the nearest whizzing taxi or the quickest train that’ll have the least amount of delays in order to get in by 8:30 AM and work their 9-5 cozy office jobs._ _ _ _

____Still, she remembers the way as if it was just yesterday that she was following a hastily scribbled map of directions on a sheet of paper with a obnoxiously large house plant in her arms, making her teeter this way and that as she click her way in heels and muttered to herself how out of all the places to pick an apartment, Billy and Teddy had chosen the area most unsuited for large obnoxious houseplants and heels._ _ _ _

____It was a nice, tidy apartment building and she managed to slip quietly inside, a twitch of her fingers making the security camera distorted for a few minutes while she entered the lobby and made her way up the stairs to the sixth floor where she paused a bit before opening the door to the hallway and slipping one of the letters under the doormat of the apartment next to the stairs._ _ _ _

____(It was decorated with fall leaves and a bit of glitter, and she could hear Teddy and Billy talking through the doorway, which put a smile on her face as she quietly closed the stairway door and made her way downstairs, fingers snapping to distort the camera again as she made her way out of the apartment building and only going back to normal once she was at the corner of the block)._ _ _ _

____“One down, one to go.” Wanda muttered to herself before making her way to where one snarky speedster and his “coffee and noodles” boyfriend worked, dropping off the letter with the receptionist and leaving with a wink._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday, November 15th 11:45 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff telephones Serval Industries, leaves a message on the answering machine telling Lorna and Pietro not to kill each other, for Pietro to stop being such a stiff necked turkey and would it kill you to finally talk to Remy already – I’m pretty sure whatever lover’s spat you got into you can spare your entire team from having to deal with you two acting like teenagers moping around the entire place. Also invest in a puppy maybe. Or a cat. Remy has cats you know. She also wished the team luck and that she’ll be a little busy but she’ll be in touch. Her cellphone decides to die after a sharp _‘click’_ to end the call, and she puts it in her pocket before grabbing her bag and making her way to her terminal gate._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____Tuesday, November 15th 12:30 PM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff leaves New York on a plane, with no one to see her off, and that’s exactly how she wanted it to happen._ _ _ _

____(No one hears from her for five months)_ _ _ _

____Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman find a goodbye letter from Wanda underneath their doormat exactly 22 minutes after she had left it there for them to find it._ _ _ _

____Tommy Shepherd gets a letter thrown at him the minute he goes to clock out for his lunch, exactly 3 hours after Wanda dropped it off with the receptionist._ _ _ _

____(Billy tries to search all over for Wanda, trying out various spells and thinking of all the places that she could be – Anywhere, everywhere. )_ _ _ _

____Tommy Shepherd locks himself up in the office bathroom and nearly pulls all of his hair out in frustration because this wasn’t supposed to happen anymore – because he thought that Wanda wouldn’t leave, that all the harassment would have stopped already, that they would hang out and do maybe family things – how do families even work? – and so he paces and paces and wants to smash the mirrors – wants to smash something but he doesn’t , because that would get him fired._ _ _ _

____So he waits, and hopes for a sign, or a signal._ _ _ _

____Something, anything._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____(No one can track her down.)_ _ _ _

____Lorna and Pietro worry themselves into a frenzy, pouring over old memories and photographs trying to pinpoint her location after their calls kept on redirected to Wanda’s voicemail and no visible sign in sight of her ever returning their calls._ _ _ _

____(It’s as if she turned into a ghost.)_ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff stays in the forests of Wungadore Mountain and meditates, lets the chaos energy flow through her and lets the forests whisper their secrets to her._ _ _ _

____ii._ _ _ _

_____April 5th, 3:00 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff finds and burns down another HYDRA base, the smell of rotting flesh and gasoline trailing after her like an overbearing shadow that hasn’t stopped following her ever since she took down the first base back in January._ _ _ _

____(She had remembered the songs Marya would sing to her, would remember the tales that Django would tell her and Pietro when they were young._ _ _ _

____She remembers the wolves who lived nearby, whom she had watched and learned and lived with, these past few months._ _ _ _

____The wolves lead her to a man with a metal arm and ghosts that dance behind his eyes, and she knows who he is, and he knows who she is as well._ _ _ _

____The wolves crowd around the man and it seems as if they are waiting for him to say something – anything. “It seems they like you. Or rather – you’re a familiar friend to them, Bucky Barnes.” Wanda says with a smile, and he raises an eyebrow at her before muttering “You know, you should probably tell everyone where you are – last I heard, the last time you disappeared all hell broke loose.”_ _ _ _

____She flashes him another grin before speaking up again, watching the wind dance with the flowers that grew here and there amongst old ruins and gravestones – “The last time I disappeared, I had my memory wiped and had gotten blood on my hands again. I came here to escape, to think for a little while, to simply be a ghost – you would know something about that, wouldn’t you?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, I would.”_ _ _ _

____They are surrounded by the wolves and the wind, and share a quiet solitude together, Wanda humming an old song and weaving together the flowers into a crown before offering it up to Bucky who glared at her in annoyance, but grudgingly accepted it anyway before staring out at the surrounding landscape._ _ _ _

____“You know, HYDRA’s still popping up everywhere – I could use some help in taking them down. Magic and all might be quicker.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re on your own for that, soldier.” Wanda says before getting up and stretching, humming the same song she’d been humming all the time._ _ _ _

____“There are two HYDRA bases east of here, Barnes. You might want to try and investigate them first before tearing them down. Also, I’m pretty sure Steve’s still looking for you, so you may want to chime in every now and then, just for old time’s sake since you’re friends and all.” Wanda says as she makes her way down the mountain, the wind carrying her voice back to where Bucky was._ _ _ _

____He didn’t reply, just gave her a nod and a lazy salute, and she laughed with the wolves following her footsteps. )_ _ _ _

____It had become a game between her and the Winter Soldier (no no, Bucky Barnes – he wasn’t exactly the brainwashed killing ghost that HYDRA had gotten their slimey hands in years ago – but yet, they were one and the same ), a game of ‘How Many HYDRA Bases Can We Destroy” that seemed like it wouldn’t end, at least, not for a while._ _ _ _

____She had learned how to sleep again, learned how to keep the nightmares compartmentalized and compact, learned how to watch the stars from the wolves , to breathe again._ _ _ _

____(She felt herself grow stronger, piecing herself back together bit by bit.)_ _ _ _

____iii._ _ _ _

_____February 13th , 2:00 AM_ _ _ _ _

____She dreams of stars burning, of the universe ending._ _ _ _

____She dreams of fire and smoke and death, and life incarnate._ _ _ _

____Exactly ten minutes later she wakes up in cold sweat with her journal open to a old worn drawing – it’s been years – it should have worked that time –_ _ _ _

_____This is how the world Ends!_ _ _ _ _

____Glares at her, and she knows what to expect, can feel the chaos magic course through her blood and the hairs on the back of her neck rise._ _ _ _

____The stars seem to flicker and dim, as if they were to die and go out one by one._ _ _ _

____“The Phoenix Force is coming back, isn’t it?” she mutters, looking up to the sky and to the flickering stars, and they seemed to die out then and there, fading into the inky darkness of the night sky._ _ _ _

_____And we’ll all burn with it._ _ _ _ _

____iv._ _ _ _

____The Phoenix Force wakes up from a slumber, and Jean Grey is the one who tries to reason with it._ _ _ _

____“They’ve beat you the last time – it’s why you’re stuck here and not out burning up planets like it’s a game to you. Right. Of course it’s a game to you.”_ _ _ _

_____They haven’t DEFEATED me, Child. They simply BORROWED TIME for themselves._ _ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Well, it’s not like they’re not going to notice you aiming towards them. You’re a fiery bird of life force and you destroy everything. It took what, five hosts last time and a blast of chaos magic to finally make you crawl back here. Serves you right you know.” Jean muttered, glaring at it._ _ _ _

____(The Phoenix Force looked offended. Or the closest thing to offended that ‘Fire and Life Incarnate’ could look like)_ _ _ _

____“Besides, if I can’t leave this place, it means you can’t either.” Jean said, glaring at the White Room’s walls._ _ _ _

_____On the contrary CHILD, these walls CANNOT hold ME._ _ _ _ _

____It’s then that Jean knows that the Phoenix Force will do as it gives her the bird-like equivalent of a grin and the walls seem to open up and the Phoenix Force is free, walls closing up and Jean Grey is still stuck in the White Room, bristling with anger because after all this time she’s still stuck in this cell._ _ _ _

____v._ _ _ _

____The Phoenix Force crashes into New York City at approximately 4:25 PM on a Monday afternoon, and it’s as if all hell broke loose._ _ _ _

____(The Avengers were scattered and spread thin, and panic was spreading like wildfire.)_ _ _ _

____It seemed as if the chaos in the city got even more amplified as each second passed but, that’s exactly how Wanda Maximoff liked it._ _ _ _

____She had returned a few days before, made calls and visits before picking up a few old trinkets, and stitched up a pair of old worn red gloves. She had learned from the wolves, learned from the flickering stars and the old ghosts of Wungadore Mountain – she wasn’t scared, not again._ _ _ _

____It’s with an old hum on her lips that she makes her way to Grand Central, heels clicking against the pavement as she ran and shoved people out of the way, barking orders here and there –_ _ _ _

_____Get the injured out of here, get as much distance as you can – **Run!** _ _ _ _ _

____The Phoenix Force laughs at her, fire and cosmic energy whipping around her as it swirls and flaps its wings, flames reaching farther and farther, burning everything in sight. She can feel the hum of chaos in the air, of anxiety and fear and she can hear the wail of sirens, hear the buzz of helicopters._ _ _ _

_____FearPanicPainFearPanicHelpUsSaveUsHelpUsPleaseHelpChaosChaosChaosFireandLifeFIreandLifeIncarnateDeathandDestructionFireandLifeYou’reAHeroYou’reaMonsterHelpUsHelpUsHelpUS_ _ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“You don’t belong here.” She says, hands pulsing with the familiar hum of chaos that flows through her as she stares at the Phoenix Force and it laughs at her._ _ _ _

_____What GOOD will you do, WITCH? You FAILED to get RID OF ME the last time I paid a visit, WHAT makes you think that THIS TIME will be ANY DIFFERENT?_ _ _ _ _

____“You know, for the cosmic embodiment of what was it that you liked to say – ‘Fire and Life Incarnate!’ – you sure do love to talk a lot” Wanda scoffed, waving her hands to exaggerate a bit before huffing and muttering “Really, you’d think you’d get it by now – You can’t destroy this planet, so give up already.”_ _ _ _

_____You DARE mock my abilities, WITCH?_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda laughs, and laughs, and lets the chaos energy hum and swirl around her, and soon enough , she snarls a Yes before lunging forward, energy shifting and warping around to form a carbon copy of the Phoenix Force, and the two took flight, crashing and twisting and burning each other – the Phoenix Force destroying, and Wanda blocking – saving , protecting._ _ _ _

____(The first injury she gets is a stab to the gut, and she falters a bit, wheezing as the blood dripped and she remembers the Apocalypse Twins and how Rogue had killed her in that lifetime, not knowing any better._ _ _ _

____She remembers the fear and the adrenaline, and makes herself get up again, lunging forward again ._ _ _ _

____The second injury she gets is a hard hit to the head, and she remembers all the times she screwed up, and there’s a laugh that bubbles out of her throat, blood trickling down the side of her head as she gets up again and attacks again._ _ _ _

____The third injury is her right shoulder and she remembers being on the run with Pietro, hiding and running, running and hiding. She remembers Wungadore and Doom, and how Tommy and Billy had found her._ _ _ _

____The fourth is her left shoulder, and she remembers Hope, and how she had banished the Phoenix – how they had saved the world._ _ _ _

____The fifth injury is to her right leg, and she remembers the time she went out with Lorna and Danger, and how she felt as if she could patch up the family that was in constant tatters , little by little. She remembers the Avengers, remembers Carol and Jessica, and remembers Clint introducing her to his dog Lucky, and how it felt like old times, years ago._ _ _ _

____The sixth injury is to her left leg, and she remembers Jean Grey, and wonders if she’ll see her, maybe one last time before the last bit of life is sucked dry out of her._ _ _ _

____Or burnt out of her. )_ _ _ _

____The Phoenix Force rushes at her and Wanda Maximoff tumbles to the ground, dust and dirt covering her and she thinks if she was to lie down and close her eyes, she’d never get up again, never wake up again._ _ _ _

_____They’ll all die because you decided to close your eyes for one second. Get yourself together. C’mon – one last push for the grand finale. And then we can sleep. Promise._ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff made a promise to herself, to the wolves, to old Wungadore Mountain, with the flickering stars watching over her._ _ _ _

_____GIVE UP already, WITCH the Phoenix Force roared, and Wanda let out a laugh, body shaking and blood dripping. And yet, she refused to give up._ _ _ _ _

____“You know – “ and it’s here that she stumbles her way forward, blood dripping on the asphalt but she makes herself move forward, chaos humming and swirling and lashing out at the Phoenix Force, pulling it closer and closer to her until she’s able to reach out and touch it’s head with her hand._ _ _ _

____Her gloves are torn and the stitches have frayed and torn but she laughs and holds on tight because she has only one shot at this, leaning in close and stares into the Phoenix Force’s eyes –_ _ _ _

____“Maybe I wasn’t clear enough about this the last time we had our little tango when you were using Hope as a vessel – but I’m pretty sure my exact words were – “_ _ _ _

_____“No More Phoenix”_ _ _ _ _

____It’s with that said that the last remaining bits of chaos energy swirls and swallows them both, throwing them into the sky with an explosion of pink and orange flames that seem to dance with the clouds and glitter like crystal clear snow._ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff is proclaimed dead exactly thirty minutes later, no body having been found, no evidence of her being there at all, except for one nearly intact red glove, and a battered headdress in the rubble._ _ _ _

____vi._ _ _ _

____Billy Kaplan doesn’t talk for three weeks to anyone, doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat._ _ _ _

____(Instead he pours over books and thinks of ways to BringHerBackSheCan’tBeDeadPleasePleasePlease )_ _ _ _

____Tommy Shepherd locks himself up in his room for days on end._ _ _ _

____(He runs and runs and tears his room apart because what else is he to do.)_ _ _ _

____Pietro Maximoff and Lorna Dane fluctuate between frantic searching to simmering anger, to weeks of silence and anger._ _ _ _

____vii._ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff wakes up to feel someone stroking her hair and the familiar scent of home wrapping around her. It’s then that she opens her eyes and sees a familiar face staring down at her, a mix of worry on Jean Grey’ s face as Wanda sits up and blinks at her._ _ _ _

____Jean counts the seconds that Wanda stares at her (Exactly 8.5 seconds) before moving forward to plant a kiss on Jean’s lips._ _ _ _

____“Nice to see you again, Jean.” She mutters, a grin on her face._ _ _ _

____“You – “_ _ _ _

____“Me.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re not supposed to be here Wanda—how’d you get in here anyway? Wait a minute they’re going to think that you’re dead –“ Jean rambled, hands waving around and a slight blush on her face._ _ _ _

____“Mhmmm. I think they waited uh thirty minutes to say that I kicked the bucket. Honestly, that was them probably being generous. Maybe Steve threatened to walk out on yet another sort of Patriotism rally or whatever cheap publicity stunt the papers want to participate in this time around.” Wanda muttered, staring at the red head who looked like she wanted to shake her (well, maybe Wanda could steal another kiss before that happened)_ _ _ _

____“Wanda—Wanda as much as I’m happy that you’re here – you’re not supposed to be here – “ Jean said, face twisted with worry._ _ _ _

____“Since when were you the worrywart Jean? That was usually my job.” Wanda said, bumping their shoulders together._ _ _ _

____“That was before you decided to take on the Phoenix Force by yourself and basically sorta got yourself killed but not – I’m still trying to figure out how it is that you got here, exactly.” Jean muttered, before leaning her head on Wanda’s shoulder and intertwined their hands together._ _ _ _

____“Call it a bit of chaos magic. Always does the unexpected.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah but you realize you’re going to have to somehow find a way back home , right? You’re awfully calm for someone who’s thought to be dead back home.” Jean piped up._ _ _ _

____“You’re a telepath Jean – you can take a look if you want. I don’t mind. In all honesty, my acting skills need a bit of brushing up. Seems like I improved a bit since I last tried to act. Maybe I could make it into the acting industry after all.” Wanda said._ _ _ _

____Jean just rolled her eyes at Wanda before muttering “Well, if you’re in no rush, do you mind staying here for a little bit?”_ _ _ _

____“To be honest, I’m exhausted, so I think I’ll stay for a little bit. With you.”_ _ _ _

____“I’d like that.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Jean Grey presses a kiss to Wanda’s lips before humming an old song. They watched the universe swirl and hum and learned how to breathe again, and at exactly 8:05 AM on a Tuesday in May, Wanda Maximoff walked the earth again, hand in hand with Jean Grey, and she had the wolves and the stars and Wungadore Mountain to thank._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday, May 5th, 8:15 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda Maximoff wraps her arms around Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, and holds them close, a quiet smile on her face, as she rocks back and forth with them, and presses kisses to their foreheads, and knows that things will be alright._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday May 5th, 8:45 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Pietro and Lorna almost topple her over and hug her far too tightly, but she holds them close and she can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of her throat, quickly turning into hiccups because she’s missed them and she was scared, brave face and all but she was scared and they knew, of course they knew, it’s why they cling to her and hold her so close._ _ _ _

_____Tuesday May 5th, 9:30 AM_ _ _ _ _

____Wanda, Jean, Pietro, Lorna , Tommy and Billy all pile into the nearest diner because intergalactic fighting and travelling across space and dimensions and saving the day made one crave pancakes and French toast._ _ _ _

____And somehow, Wanda thought of Wungadore and Marya and the old stories that she would listen as a little girl and the wolves that taught her how to run and fight and survive, and the stars that seemed to flicker on by in the inky night sky, glittering and gleaming like freshly fallen snow, guiding her the way home and she knew things would be alright, chaos and all._ _ _ _

____They’d be alright, because she was alive, and an Avenger, and things would be alright._ _ _ _


End file.
